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OF MANY THINGS 106 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 e assumed his high office in a all Jesuits would tell you that Father Ph: (212) 581-4640; Fax: (212) 399-3596 time of unprecedented change Kolvenbach’s humility, holiness, Subscriptions: (800) 627-9533 www.americamedia.org and challenge. At first, no integrity and savvy diplomacy were what facebook.com/americamag H twitter.com/americamag one who voted for him really expected stabilized the Society after one of the him to win. The outcome frightened roughest periods of our history. Without PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF some and reassured others. The man his serenity and savvy, we would have Matt Malone, S.J. EXECUTIVE EDITORS was Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., the been very much at sea. We owe him Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy 29th superior general of the Society of more than we could ever repay.” MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber Jesus, who died last month at the age of It’s safe to say that without Peter- LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT 87. He had been a Jesuit for 68 years, Hans Kolvenbach, there would be no Kevin Clarke serving as superior general for nearly a Pope Francis. Thirty years ago there was EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. quarter-century. a profound rupture in the relationship CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shawn Tripoli Dutch by birth, German and Italian between the papacy and the Society of EXECUTIVE EDITOR, AMERICA FIlmS Jeremy Zipple, S.J. by genes, Father Kolvenbach was elected Jesus. Today the pope is a Jesuit. That POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. superior general in a time of crisis. the College of Cardinals would entrust ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT Church officials, including Pope John the governance of the universal church Gerard O’Connell ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL Paul II, had grown suspicious of the to a Jesuit is a testament to Father STRATEGY Sam Sawyer, S.J. Jesuits under the leadership of Father Kolvenbach’s tireless efforts to reconcile ASSOCIATE EDITOR & DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE EVELOpmENT Eric Sundrup, S.J. Pedro Arrupe, Kolvenbach’s immediate the Society with the church and pontiff D SENIOR EDITOR Edward W. Schmidt, S.J. predecessor. The Jesuits had lost their it exists to serve. ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ashley McKinless, Olga way, some thought, especially in Latin After 25 grace-filled years, Father Segura, Robert David Sullivan ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FIlm José Dueño, S.J. America, where the sons of Ignatius Kolvenbach had a “Simeon moment”: Let ASSISTANT EDITOR Joseph McAuley had embraced liberation theology. your servant go in peace, he told us, as he ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder At the height of the Cold War, they became the first Jesuit superior general EDITORIAL ASSISTANT FOR DIGITAL MEDIA wondered why any Catholic, let alone to resign from office. Many insiders say Zachary Davis EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Eloise Blondiau a priest, would associate himself with that Father Kolvenbach’s resignation O’HARE FEllOWS Teresa Donnellan, Nicholas a movement that, in part, had Marxist paved the way for Pope Benedict XVI's Genovese, Wyatt Massey COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., underpinnings. resignation in 2013. When asked what Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. Just a few months after the he would do in retirement, Kolvenbach Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, assassination attempt on John Paul replied: whatever my superiors ask me Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Michael O’Loughlin in 1981, Father Arrupe suffered a to do. He spent his final years as the REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS John Carr (Wash- devastating stroke that ended his active assistant librarian for the Jesuit university ington), Anthony Egan, S.J., and Russell Pollitt, S.J. (Johannesburg), Jim McDermott, S.J. (Los ministry. Forces in the Roman Curia in Beirut. Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), David Stewart, S.J. (London), Rhona Tarrant (Dublin), Judith allied against the Jesuits seized the In one of his final interviews, given in Valente (Chicago) moment to call the ecclesial equivalent these pages in 2007, Father Kolvenbach MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB of a time-out. The pope intervened shared with us what he had learned Kevin Spinale, S.J. directly in the governance of the Society, through his time as general: “Jesuits are EDITOR, THE JESUIT POST Michael Rossmann, S.J. EDITORIAL E-MAIL suspending its constitutions and not as brilliant and excellent as people [email protected] bypassing Father Arrupe’s presumptive believe us to be, and we are not the PUBLISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER successor. After an anxious two years, liberals, protesters and free-thinkers Edward G. Spallone DEPUTY PUBLISHER Rosa M. Del Saz VICE PRESIDENT FOR the pope at last gave permission for the some like to say we are.” The key to who ADVANCEMENT Daniel Pawlus ADVERTISING Jesuits to hold a general congregation we are, he said, is our living relationship SALES MANAGER Chris Keller ADVANCEMENT and elect a new leader. with Christ and his church: “I hope and COORDINATOR Timothy Bouffard PROGRAMS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Nicholas Sawicki But who among the delegates pray that, inspired by the experience of BUSINESS OPERATIONS STAFF Glenda Castro, possessed the necessary holiness, St. Ignatius in the Spiritual Exercises, we Ryan Richardson, Anastasia Buraminskaya ADVERTISING CONTACT ads@americamedia. gravitas, humility and aplomb that the can continue this mission, which leads org; 212-515-0102 SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT AND moment required? Who could heal Jesuits, other religious and laypeople to ADDITIONAL COPIES 1-800-627-9533 REPRINTS: [email protected] the breach? The task fell to Father a personal encounter with the Lord, the © 2016 America Press Inc. Kolvenbach. As Joseph M. McShane, origin of our vocation and of our mission S.J., president of Fordham University, in the world.” R.I.P. Cover: Martin Scorsese. America Films/Jeremy recently told America: “Most if not MATT MALONE, S.J. Zipple Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 215 NO. 19 WHOLE NO. 5151 DECEMBER 19-26, 2016 ARTICLES 16 CREATING ‘SILENCE’ An interview with Martin Scorsese James Martin 21 A MISSING MEMORIAL How should Chicago properly honor Emmett Till? Carolyn Alessio COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 16 5 Editorial Fear Not! 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Column Peace Over Politics Margot Patterson 24 Vatican Dispatch No “Reform of the Reform” Gerard O’Connell 25 Faith in Focus The End of Despair Joe Watson Jr. 28 Philosopher’s Notebook Teachers Who Teach John J. Conley 38 The Word The Right Word; Keep and Ponder Michael R. Simone 21 BOOKS & CULTURE 29 TELEVISION “A Charlie Brown Christmas’” POEM Adoration of the Christ Child BOOKS A Culture of Engagement; Prophecy Without Contempt; The Salvador Option; Almighty ON THE WEB An exclusive video interview the newly elected superior general of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, S.J. Plus, Nathan Schneider asks: Is it time for a Spotify for news? Full digital highlights on page 37 and at americamagazine.org 29 CURRENT COMMENT admission has adapted to the changing needs and crises of The Right to Data the times. Today’s humanitarian crises in the Middle East One of the signs of a functioning democracy is confidence should be similarly addressed with a generous, judicious in data from the government. The United States has several resettlement policy, especially since so much of the disorder agencies that let us know “what’s going on,” to use a favorite in the region has been the result of reckless U.S. geopolitical phrase of President-elect Donald J. Trump. The Census decisions. No civilized society can remain indifferent to the Bureau remains the gold standard for information about clear suffering of so many at this time, but no program can topics like poverty, household income and the persistence of be foolproof. The risk will always remain that an extremist racial segregation. Other sources of data about our nation, actor may infiltrate the resettlement system. and our universe, include the F.B.I., NASA and the Centers But the Christian life cannot be lived without risk, and for Disease Control and Prevention. risk itself can take many forms. It is worth noting that the It is impossible to debate public policy without agreement young Somali man behind the attack at Ohio State was on facts. Unfortunately, Mr. Trump had a habit on the apparently “self-radicalized” after his arrival in the United campaign trail of passing on debunked numbers to support States, not before. Indifference to vast human suffering and his own rhetoric—saying, for example, of the Bureau of antipathy to all Muslims based on the actions of a minority Labor Statistics, “Don’t believe those phony numbers are not without risks of their own. when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment…. I even heard recently 42 percent.” He continues to be unaware or dismissive of government data on crime and immigration, Social Mediation and he essentially accused state election departments of a This Christmas season, many of us will find ourselves massive conspiracy when he retold a story about millions of scrolling through social media feeds filled with countless votes being cast fraudulently in the presidential election. pictures of holiday cheer. Does this window into the Mr. Trump’s cavalier attitude toward statistics is festivities of friends and acquaintances help us to share in worrisome because many agencies on which we rely for the joy of the season or make us feel left out in the cold? accurate data are directly or indirectly supervised by Like any technology, it depends on how we use it.